Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



UNITED STATES' PATENT Prien HERMAN SCHRDER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LO'ADING FIRE-ARMS.

vSpecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 32,653, dated June 25, 1861.

resents asectional view of the arm, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of myinvention consists, mainly, in providing the arm with a movable breechpin,which, by'means of alever-guard, not only cocks the lock, but at the same time releases the breech of the barrel, so that it maybe thrown upward to receive the charge, and in this-re spect it is designed as an improvement upon the breech-loading lire-arm patentedfto Herman Schrder, Lewis Salewski, and William Schmidt on the 23d of December, 1856, the improvement being manifested in a simplification of the mechanism and an increased facility for inserting the cartridge. I have, however, other minor improvements, which will be specified as they are described. l

To enable others skilled in the art to which. this invention is most nearly allied to make and use my invention, I shall now proceed to describe the construction and operation of this my improved implement.

The barrelA is hinged to the metallic strap C (to which also the lock and lever-guard are permanently attached) at a. F is the movable breech-pin," formed with a rack, e, on its under side, whose teeth engage with those of the segmental pinion E, formed on the anterior end of the lever-guard D. .The moyable'breech-pin has alsosunk in its facean annular chamber, f, of a V form in its cross-section, as represented, forl the reception of the charge, which is of the character of a ball-v cartridge with the fulminate next the ball or in front of the charge. The needle d passes through the movable breech-pin as a guide,

and it is held in its stock H, which is jointed to the dog G at g,where the said dog is bifurcated, 'each fork being provided with a shoulder, as represented at h, which strikes upon the upper surface of the metallic strap C as Y the lock is sprung; or, instead of the dog G l being bifurcated and formed with shoulders to arrest the forward motion of the breech-pin, the stock I-I mayhave this construction,when of course the same result would follow. At b is a wedge-shaped projection,which tits into a mortise in the strap C of corresponding shape.

From this construction results the following operation: Suppose the several parts to be in the positionrepresentedin redlines. The breech ofthe barrel is thrown up to receive. the charge, the movable breech-pin is withdrawr. by means of the leverguard D, and the lockI is thus cocked, the rear 'end of the breech-pin bearing against the shoulder ofthe needle-stock. The

cartridge having been inserted, the breech of the barrel is depressed,when the wedge-shaped projection I), striking into its mortise c, forces the breech of the barrel into close contact with the recoil-plates, and thus prevents the escape ofthe gases. The lever-guard D is then brought up into contact with its detent I, leaving the lock cocked, which operation forces forward the movable breech-pin and the cartridge,the explosive part of which is received into the annular chamber f. In this position the bar-A rel is `firmly locked and can be neither thrown upward nor forward. 0n springing thelock to effect the discharge, the forward motion of the needle is arrested by means of the shoulder h of the dog G, or the shouldersformed onthe bifurcated stock H, as the case may be, striking on the-upper surface of the strap C. Were this not the case, the shoulder of the stock H would` strike the movable breech pin, and tend to give it also aA forward motion. The discharge taking place, the gases expand the thin edge of the annular chamber f, and thus eiiectually pack the joint between the bore of the barrel and the movable breech-pin. t should b e observed that the mortise c not only serves the purpose of securing a tight joint between the barrel and the breech, but it also admits of the passing off of such foreign mat,

ter as would otherwise lodge between the barrel and the strap C. y

Having thus described my invention -in breech-loading fire-arms, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters -Patent of the United States, is-

l. The movable breech-pin F,when operati ing as described, to eoek the 10c-k and lock the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my barrel. hand this 9th day of May, A. D. 1861.

2. The movable breech-pin operating as described, in combination with the expansive m1- l HERMAN SCHRDER. nular charge-chamberf, as and for the pur- Y pose specified. Witnesses: i

3. The shoulders 7L ou ,the dog G, as and for HENRY IMMEN,

the purpose set fort-11. y A. B. LITTLE. 

